Number of the day

17.7 million

That's how many iPhones were sold in the fourth quarter, giving Apple the top spot in the U.S. market for the first time and scoring a victory in its battle with Samsung for global dominance in mobile phones. The Cupertino company sold 38 percent more phones than a year earlier, according to research firm Strategy Analytics, capturing 34 percent of the market, compared with 32 percent for Samsung.

Hear here

"You take Mother Nature and standardize it. Mother Nature doesn't like to be standardized."

Jim Horrisberger, director of procurement at Coca-Cola's huge Auburndale juice packaging plant in Florida, on the challenges in getting that perfect blend of orange juice onto the nation's kitchen tables. Satellite imagery and complicated data algorithms are used to produce Coke's Simply Orange brand. It's part of a push by the soda giant to build a global juice machine and compete with PepsiCo, which leads the market for not-from-concentrate juices in the United States.

Heads up

Apps World North America runs Thursday and Friday at Moscone Centerin San Francisco. With more than 5,500 attendees - including mobile software developers, device makers, marketers and operators - the event features a free exhibition and workshops. Product and marketing executives from companies including LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook will share their thoughts on the challenges and opportunities of this exploding industry.